What's the job really like?

Line mechanic video

Clinton: Today, 17-year-old Vai Tuugamusu will be learning how to be a line technician. Learning what’s required when a power pole needs replacing. She will also be learning about the job of a substation trainee, maintaining Transpower’s Pakuranga substation in South Auckland.

Clinton: Training Manager Keith Ball will be guiding Vai through her first day.
Keith: Keith Ball from electrics, welcome.

Clinton: Substations are necessary in the electricity supply system to lower voltage for onward distribution into a town.

Clinton: This station drops the power from 110 thousand to 33 thousand volts.

Keith: Our job today Vai, is to carry out a service on the switch. We work in a hazardous environment, not a dangerous environment, because we manage our hazards.

Clinton: Substation trainees carry out inspections and servicing of transformers and a wide variety of high voltage circuit breakers. They might joint high voltage overhead conductors, carry out insulation and voltage breakdown tests, or help install substation earthing and safety bonding systems. At least two people will work on any job. Today’s operator is Tracey Farrel who is responsible for all preparation and safety procedures.

Keith: So you carry out any part of a switchyard maintenance procedure, the operator will go through and isolate and earth, which means putting earth safety precautions in place for us to be able to go near the thing and the operator will issue the person with a permit and it’s safe to work on it.

What we need to do Vi, these switches are very heavy because of the 2400 amps, and you need to be bale to stand with your feet apart, take a handle in both hands and use your whole body weight to open it with.

Feet apart…

Well done.

Clinton: The area is declared safe. Its time to head up to the job.

Keith: Use your brake clean and clean all the four faces with your rag.

Vai: So what can go wrong if I don’t clean it?

Keith: What can go wrong if they’re not cleaned? What actually happens is the switch won’t operate correctly.

Vai: Would you get sparks?

Keith: Yes you do – it’s known to us as “corona”.

Clinton: Regular attention minimises equipment failure and today there’s scheduled maintenance on the 110 thousand volt line into the substation.

Keith: So if you pop that on to the top of that, push it down and pump the handle.

Clinton: This large switch has three linkages that need greasing.

Vai: So what’s the red stuff?

Keith: The red stuff is grease – it’s a lubricant.

Vai: Oh yep.

Keith: And what happens there, this insulator turns, and you’ve now just greased the shaft that goes through, connecting this together – we’ve greased there, we’ve greased there, and up in the front.

Clinton: Job done. On the transmission lines connected to the substation, apprentice line mechanic Holly Murphy is working on a job.

Holly: It’s a good job, it’s a good job. You meet a lot of good people and stuff like that, and I really like it. I like the people that I work with as well.

Vai: So would you like more women in this industry?

Holly: Yeah I would love to see more women in this industry. There’s only three women in electrics that do transmission lines, which is high voltage, and the amount of time you get mistaken for a boy is kind of ridiculous.

Frances: Team work is extremely important and one of the things that we find for women who come into the technical trades in our sector is that they enhance the team, simply because women socialise men very differently and if we have all males in the team, testosterone levels are higher, attention to detail may be OK but many women who come into the industry are very safety conscious and they enhance the safety of the team.

Clinton: Well there’s a keen team waiting for Vai in South Auckland, getting ready to replace a power pole.

Phil: The pole across the way – number seven – to replace. We’ve already identified that it’s not safe to climb so obviously we’ll be using the bucket for it.

Clinton: Together with Phil Neil of Northpower, Vai’s now looking at the job of a line mechanic.

Phil: This is the pole that we’re going to be replacing, and it’s currently feeding the three houses in behind it here. We’ve got the crane truck coming up to hold the pole while the bucket truck will then come up there and tape the conductors off the insulator so we can pull the pole out and put a new one in.

Just be careful when you get too much off because it’s going to slip though like this.

Vai: Ok then.

Phil: Ready to come down?

The problem with powering is to keep the power on for the people. All the low voltage stuff – we’re looking after that. So service lines into the homes where there are power poles outside the properties, the street lighting, hot water systems – we do a little bit of everything really. We maybe up a pole one minute, and we could be down digging in a hole the next minute, but it’s all about keeping that power on.

Clinton: As the lines are pulled down, each is clearly identified and tested.

Vai: So what’s the worst that 240volts could do to you?

Phil: It could kill you, that’s the worst!

We’re wearing fire-retarding overalls, we’re wearing our hardhats, safety glasses at all times, and we’re starting now to be issued with wearing insulating rubber gloves from ground to ground.

Clinton: The new pole is up, Vai has helped dig it in, and its time to re-attach the original cables.

Phil: You need to want to work outside, and it’s not just on a beautiful day like this. You can be working outside in all conditions.

Vai: And then just leave the rest like that?

Phil: You can do the other one as well.

You need to be able to think for yourself, but in saying that, you also need to be able to ask if you don’t understand.

All good?

Vai: Good.

Phil: We’re outta here!

And maturity is a big one as well. Maturity doesn’t come with age – there’s a lot of young mature people out there as well that can identify when you have a good time and when to get stuck in to what they need to do.

Clinton: Once the area is cleared, the power can be turned on.

Phil: All alive!

Clinton: Last job is to run a test at the meter board of each property.

Phil: We know that the power is up to the bottom of the main switch so if we touch it onto the phase, it’s indicating that there are more than 230 volts there, so that’s all good. We then carry on through and we find out where the neutral comes down top the stud and check that, and as you can see there is no voltage on the meter, so the phase is going through the power like we want it to so we put it back together and turn the main switch on and the customer can use as much power as they like.

She wasn’t afraid to get in there and get down and get dirty. You couldn’t really ask for anymore than that. She did really well today.

Vai: From the beginning I thought it was just simple work but it seems to be more than just what it looks like. Anyone can do it really, it’s not just a man’s job. Girls can do it too.

Clinton: To become a line mechanic you will need to do on the job training. Maths, English and Science are useful subjects. To become a sub station trainee you need to be a qualified electrician first. Electricity is the largest sector of the energy industry. There is a shortage of skilled workers so it’s an excellent career option.

Women are seriously under-represented in the industry. Ultimit is an initiative to encourage more women to apply for apprenticeship training.

Find out more about training

What are the chances of getting a job?

Shortage of line mechanics

Chances of getting a job as a line mechanic are good due to a shortage of workers to help with the ongoing growth and maintenance of the national power grid.

Shortage of people training as cable jointers

Many line mechanics are training in electric cable jointing to ensure they have relevant skills when overhead power lines are replaced by underground power cables. However, there is still a shortage of people training as cable jointers in New Zealand.

Line mechanic and cable jointer jobs in skills shortage

Electric Line mechanic, electrical lines worker, cabler and telecommunications cable jointer all appear on at least one of Immigration New Zealand's long-term, immediate, and construction and infrastructure skill shortage lists.

This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled line mechanics from overseas to work in New Zealand.

Most line mechanics work for electricity supply companies

Most line mechanics work for New Zealand's 18 electricity line supply companies.

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